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Ep. 58 Renting Their Way Through the USA with Melissa Bald

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Ep. 58 Renting Their Way Through the USA with Melissa Bald
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Melissa Bald had a burning desire to explore, but the Van-Life simply wasn’t going to work for her family. So, what did she do? She found a way! The Balds sold their home and rented their way through the USA for a year, allowing her husband to work virtually, and her to homeschool her kiddos! Learn how a year as nomads taught a family how to find adventure in their own backyard!

Their Favourite Outdoor Adventures:  

  • Nature scavenger hunts
  • Hiking
  • Swimming
  • Enjoying the mountains!

A Memorable Location: 

Keystone, Colorado

Pros from a Year of Travel: 

  • So much family bonding time
  • They felt safe during the pandemic, because they were their own little bubble

Challenge from a Year of Travel: 

  • Learning what/how to pack for different climates and homeschool, which all needed to fit into their SUV
  • Packing monthly to “move” again
  • Finding rentals for the duration they wanted (4-6 weeks each time)

Advice for Those Wanting to Take On Something Similar: 

  • You can create adventure in smaller stints (start small, if you need)
  • You can rent out your house to make it more financially-feasible (they sold, as it was the right time for them)
  • Book as you go, so you can gauge how long you want to spend in each place
  • You can often use your current address for shipping items you may need, such as contact lenses, or medicine, for example
  • Other mail can be forwarded to a (willing) relative, if you don’t have a PO Box

A key takeaway: The Balds had a drive and desire to see everything where they were, and now they bring that into their permanent home/stationary suburb “normal life”! 

Show Recommendation: 

Alone (on the Discovery Channel)

Follow Melissa: 

IG: @melissbald

 

Check out KWE’s #patch4apurpose to support 1, or all 8, charities:
https://kidswhoexplore.com/product/original-explorer-patch4apurpose/

Today’s Host: @adriannaadventures & @laurenrodycheberle from @kidswhoexplore
Production: @kpmediaproductions.Music: @michaelferraro_music

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